Pocono priests shocked but accepting of Pope's decision

Catholic priests in the Poconos were startled by Monday's announcement that Pope Benedict XVI was stepping down.

HOWARD FRANK

Catholic priests in the Poconos were startled by Monday's announcement that Pope Benedict XVI was stepping down.

"I was surprised this morning," said the Rev. Jeffrey Walsh of St. John's Church in East Stroudsburg, who learned about the announcement while reading the news online. "But I have great confidence that the pope ... wouldn't have made the decision lightly. It would have been done with prayer."

Walsh took note of the letter written by the pope to his cardinals.

"After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths due to an advanced age are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry," the Pope wrote.

Walsh planned to read the pope's letter to his congregation at Mass.

"I'll let (the pope's) own words speak for himself and remind them God always provides for his church," Walsh said.

The announcement caught another Pocono priest off guard.

"I was startled, to be honest with you, that the pope would resign," said the Rev. Thomas D. McLaughlin, pastor of the Church of St. Luke in Stroudsburg.

"But his logic and reason which is manifest in his pontificate cannot be challenged. He feels he needs to resign for the welfare of the church. He feels that he at this point can't give it 100 percent, so his time has come to an end."

Local priests said the pope's resignation will not create instability in the Roman Catholic Church.

"They always have had a tradition in Rome to refer to this pope to give a sense of continuity," Walsh said.

One person not taken aback by the announcement was James Brian Benestad, a professor of theology at the University of Scranton. Benestad has studied the writings of Pope Benedict XVI extensively.

"I think it's not surprising if he was told he was quite ill, if he was weak. He has a very elevated notion of the papacy and came to the conclusion he could not function on such a high level," he said.

Benestad described the pope as "a very humble person."

He told a story of when, just before Pope Benedict XVI was elevated to pope, Cardinal Pell of Australia went looking for him and instead came across a housekeeper, who told the cardinal "this man is a real Christian."

"So obviously," Benestad said, "the pope treated her with respect when she went in to clean in the privacy of his office when no one was there."

McLaughlin said it would be easy to explain the pope's resignation to parishioners.

"We've been graced by a man of intellect for years, who will be followed by someone who can continue and bring full enthusiasm to the work," he said.

Bishop Joseph C. Bambera heads the Diocese of Scranton that oversees churches in the Poconos.

In a statement released by the diocese, he wrote: "The Holy Father's decision to resign stands as profound testimony to the depth of his faith and his deep humility as a servant of the Lord. With his own personal recognition that the Church must be led by one who is capable of doing so by possessing the necessary strength of mind and body, this historic decision will undoubtedly be remembered as Pope Benedict XVI's last great service to the church."